Euphorbia plant named &#39;Bonpri 585&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Euphorbia  plant named ‘Bonpri 585’, characterized by its compact, upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit; inflorescences with light pink-colored flower bracts; and good post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra.

Cultivar denomination: ‘BONPRI 585’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euphorbia plant, an interspecific hybrid botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Bonpri 585’.

The new Euphorbia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the program is to create and develop new interspecific Euphorbia plants with compact, upright and mounded plant habit and attractive flower bracts.

The new Euphorbia plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpripicom’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,325. The new Euphorbia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of ‘Bonpripicom’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia on Jun. 13, 2007.

Asexual reproduction of the new Euphorbia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia since June, 2007 has shown that the unique features of this new Euphorbia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Bonpri 585’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Bonpri 585’ as a new and distinct Euphorbia plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   5. Freely flowering habit.     -   6. Inflorescences with light pink-colored flower bracts.     -   7. Good post-production longevity.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Yellow Rock, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of the mutation parent, ‘Bonpripicom’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia have a more uniform plant habit         than plants of ‘Bonpripicom’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia and ‘Bonpripicom’ differ in         flower bract color as plants of ‘Bonpripicom’ have red         purple-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Euphorbia can be compared to plants of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonprilipcom’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,327. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Euphorbia differ primarily from plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Euphorbia have a more uniform plant habit         than plants of ‘Bonpripicom’.     -   2. Plants of the new Euphorbia are more freely branching than         plants of ‘Bonpripicom’.     -   3. Plants of the new Euphorbia have smaller and darker         green-colored leaves than plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’.     -   4. Plants of the new Euphorbia produce more freely flowering         than plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’.     -   5. Plants of the new Euphorbia had larger inflorescences with         larger flower bracts than plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’.     -   6. Plants of the new Euphorbia and ‘Bonprilipcom’ in flower         bract color as plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’ have slightly lighter         pink-colored flower bracts.     -   7. Flower bracts of plants of the new Euphorbia are more serrate         than flower bracts of plants of ‘Bonprilipcom’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Euphorbia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Euphorbia plant.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Bonpri 585’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Bonpri 585’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used in the aforementioned photographs and described herewith in detail were grown during the autumn in 12-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan and under cultural practices typical of commercial Euphorbia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 23° C. and night temperatures averaged 13° C. Plants were four months old when the photographs and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, Fourth Edition, 2007, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex     Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpri 585’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Euphorbia     pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch×Euphorbia cornastra ‘Bonpripicom’,     disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,325. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About ten days at 18° C. to             25° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About twelve days at 16° C.             to 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at 18° C. to 25° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at 16° C. to 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Compact, upright and uniformly mounded             plant habit; inverted triangle; inflorescences positioned             above the foliar plane; vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 21 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 34 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Blanching habit: Freely             branching habit, about six lateral branches develop per             plant. Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About 3.2 mm.             Internode length: About 1.9 cm. Aspect: Mostly upright to             somewhat outward. Strength: Strong. Texture: Sparsely             pubescent. Color: Close to 144A.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 7.5 cm. Width: About 4.3 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Acute. Base: Rounded. Margin: Shallowly serrate; slightly             undulate. Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Texture and             luster, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely pubescent;             rugose; matte. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to             137D. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Close to darker             than N137A; venation, close to 144B. Fully developed leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137B; venation, close to 145C.             Petioles: Length: About 2.5 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 144A tinged with close to 200C. Color,             lower surface: Close to 144A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with numerous flower bracts subtending             the cyathia; inflorescences positioned above the foliar             plane.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit; about 13             inflorescences develop per plant.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 16.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 4.6 cm.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower during the             autumn and winter in Japan; inflorescence initiation and             development can also be induced under artificial long             nyctoperiod and short photoperiod conditions; early             flowering habit, plants flower about 50 days under natural             season conditions in Japan.         -   Post-production longevity.—Good post-production longevity;             plants of the new Euphorbia maintain good substance and             bract color for about seven weeks.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 18. Length,             largest bracts: About 5.8 cm. Width, largest bracts: About             3.1 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Rounded.             Margin: Shallowly serrate. Texture, upper surface: Sparsely             pubescent. Texture, lower surface: Pubescent. Aspect: Mostly             horizontal. Venation pattern: Pinnate, reticulate. Color:             Transitional bracts, upper surface: Close to 62C; towards             the apex, close to N137C; margin, proximally, close to             NN155B; margin, distally, close to 137C. Transitional             bracts, lower surface: Close to 159D; towards the apex,             close to 138B; margin, proximally, close to NN15513; margin,             distally, close to 143D. Developing bracts, upper surface:             Close to 68B; smallest bracts, close to N66A. Developing             bracts, lower surface: Close to 155A; smallest bracts, close             to 63B. Fully expanded bracts, upper surface: Close to 65B             to 65C; margins, close to N155D; venation, close to 152A.             Fully expanded bracts, lower surface: Close to 159D;             venation, close to 145B. Flower bract petioles: Length:             About 1 cm. Diameter: About 1.3 mm. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close             to 144B.         -   Cyathia.—Quantity per corymb: About 15. Diameter of cyathia             cluster: About 2.9 cm. Height, individual cyathium: About             6 mm. Diameter, individual cyathium: About 6.5 mm. Shape,             individual cyathium: Globose; sessile. Color: Close to 143C;             apex, close to 11C to 11D. Nectaries: Quantity per cyathium:             One. Size: About 2.2 mm by 3.6 mm. Color: Close to 12A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2.4 mm. Diameter: About 1.9 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: Close to N144C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per cyathium: If             present, one or two. Stamen length: About 2.3 mm. Filament             color: Close to NN155C. Anther shape: Lanceolate. Anther             color: Close to 59A. Amount of pollen: None observed.             Pistils: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been observed             to develop pistils. Seeds and fruits: Seed and fruit             production has not been observed on plants of the new             Euphorbia. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Euphorbia     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Euphorbia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 8° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Euphorbia plant named ‘Bonpri 585’ as illustrated and described. 